Frontier will keep base at Trenton-Mercer

EWING — Frontier Airlines will keep their east coast operations base at the Trenton-Mercer Airport for at least another five years.

An ordinance passed by the Mercer County Freeholders Board amended the commercial airliner’s initial lease and extends their lease term from two years to five years, period May 21, 2013 to May 20, 2018.

“This signed commitment by Frontier indicates their desire to continue to serve the robust Mercer County market,” said County Executive Brian Hughes.

The airliner, which launched operations late last year, has gradually increased the number of flights which operation into and out of the regional airport. Frontier currently operates five days a week and travels to 10 destinations.

Because of the uptick in the number of passengers, an estimated 10,000 per week, who now travel into and out of the county, officials are hoping to secure funding which would improve the terminal and parking conditions. The Freeholder Board will consider funding a $3 million construction project for a new 463-space lot at the site of a former tennis center at the airport. In addition, a $400,000 construction cost will be considered by the board to update the terminal with new bathrooms in the post-security waiting area and for a new external baggage claim area.

The county executive expects to recuperate the capital investment through passenger facility charges, $4.50 per ticket, and by charging drivers to park their vehicles in the airport lots.

“We anticipate this project will be revenue neutral within the next couple of years,” said Hughes. “It will take 2 1/2 to 3 years to recover all the money for the parking lot project even if we just charge $5 per car.”

Funding for to bring the airport runways up to safety codes has already been secured. Beginning in September, Frontier will suspend all flights into and out of the regional airport in order to outfit the runways with Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) beds. The system is designed to entrap an aircraft that has overrun the runway, with little or no damage to the aircraft, and most importantly, no major injuries to passengers, crew or bystanders. The state-of-the-art lightweight crushable concrete blocks will be placed at the end of the 6,006-foot long Runway 6-24.

The two month project to update the runway’s safety system is estimated to cost $15.8 million with $14.2 million provided by the FAA. “The remaining $1.6 million for this EMAS project is being funded by the state and county (equally),” said Michael Boonin a spokesperson for Mercer County.